The solution
To meet Shaanxi Highway Traffic Technology Development’s performance, availability and budgetary requirements, HITE recommended that the company redeploy its ETC system in a virtualized environment on two fault-tolerant Stratus ftServer 4710 systems—each with 256GB memory and a 900G x 14 hard drive—running the Windows operating system. Featuring Intel® Xeon® processors and VMwarevirtualization technology, the ftServer platform is designed to prevent unplanned downtime and data loss without a performance hit to critical a pplications. Fully replicated hardware components process the same instructions in “lockstep”—at the same exact time— to eliminate virtually any single point of failure and safeguard data integrity.
Each ftServer system uses a standard dual-modular-redundancy (DMR) configuration that includes two CPU/memory units. If a CPU/memory unit fails or is offline for maintenance or diagnostic purposes, the system continues to operate normally with the remaining components, providing 99.999% availability or better—on average less than five minutes of downtime annually. The ftServer system’s Automated Uptime™ Layer works in concert with the lockstep technology to anticipate and prevent many system errors. Unlike typical platforms or clusters, ftServer hardware and software handles such errors transparently, shielding the operating system, middleware, application software, and even in-memory data. The Automated Uptime Layer constantly monitors hundreds of system components and sensors, and manages system resources to preemptively protect against downtime and data loss.
The results
Since deploying the ftServer platform in 2015, Shaanxi Highway Traffic Technology Development has enjoyed superior availability and reliable performance of its ETC system at the Huaqiao Toll Station. By accelerating processing speeds and preventing unplanned system downtime, the ftServer system has helped ensure always-on electronic toll collection to offset highway expenses and keep traffic flow moving smoothly and efficiently.
In addition to delivering high availability and performance, the ftServer platform has enabled Shaanxi Highway Traffic Technology Development to realize greater cost efficiencies by reducing energy consumption and space requirements within the data center. By supporting a virtualized application environment, the ftServer systems also improve utilization of computing infrastructure resources for additional cost savings.
Thanks to the ftServer platform’s fast, easy installation and configuration, centralized management, and outstanding serviceability, Shaanxi Highway Traffic Technology Development is realizing low total cost of ownership (TCO). The ETC applications run on ftServer without modification and only a single copy of the software is required, saving both effort and costs. At the same time, automatic replacement parts ordering, hot plug and play, and 24/7/365 system monitoring simplify service and eliminate the need for ITintensive resources. Furthermore, because the ftServer platform is built for longevity, Shaanxi Highway Traffic Technology Development expects to achieve long-term value— without the need for frequent technical refreshes.
“The
Stratus ftServer platform is helping our customer, Shaanxi Highway Traffic Technology Development, ensure always-on electronic toll collection at the Huaqiao Toll Station. Highly efficient and easy to deploy and manage, the fault-tolerant ftServer system prevents ETC system downtime, boosts application performance and significantly reduces TCO. With ftServer, the customer is able to optimize toll fee collection and improve the traffic flow along the busy Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway.”
Cao XiaoJuan Industry Manager, HITE